Know Thyself, Know Thy Enemy

Know Thyself, Know Thy Enemy

There's a saying in the Marine Corps, "Fight the good battles, and stay away from the bad ones". What this means is you have to know yourself, your limits and who you're up against. As a light tank, you don't go chasing down heavies and attacking them. Light tanks have no chance against heavies, and its best to just move on and pick another fight. In a varied mix of tank types, light tanks are best used for scouting and hunting artillery. They are also good against Tank Destroyers, artillery and other light tanks, but avoid engaging heavy tanks (and mediums too) if possible.

Heavy tanks have the firepower to engage any unit on the battlefield. They can either can creep up on the enemy, lie in ambush in base defense, or attack from long range. Heavies are almost indestructible to light tanks as their armor is too thick to be penetrated by small caliber guns. But their speed makes them suspectible to artillery indirect fire and unsuitable to chase down light tanks. If you find a deadlock, with both sides entrenched behind rocks and buildings, then a heavy has the best chance of spearheading the assault than any other class. Medium tanks are in the middle ground, with decent firepower, speed and armor. They can engage all types of units and are the most versatile tank class in the game.

Tank destroyers are ill suited for attacking and should not be used in this role whenever possible. It always amuses me to see TDs rushing forward to attack thinking they're driving a heavy tank. Their lack of turret, and weak side armor makes them very vulnerable if caught by enemy tanks. Tank destroyers can engage any unit as they have comparatively bigger guns than a tank of its same tier. But they're best used in a defensive position, hiding behind bushes and sniping from far. Their advantage is good frontal protection due to their sloped armor, and difficulty to detect.

Artillery too should seek cover and use indirect fire as much as possible. Their guns are powerful enough to take out any tank of its same tier with just one shot. This makes artillery dangerous foes but upfront, they are very clumsy, slow to reload and very inaccurate. In self defense, artillery can use direct fire (aka TD mode).